Delhi – The Tombs, Part 1 Humayun and Safdar Jang tombs

The most magnificent of the tombs in Delhi is Humayun’s tomb which was the first large Mughal garden tomb and was built on the banks of the Jumana (as was) near the Purana Qila fort complex where he died.

Humayun was the 2nd Mughal ruler and reigned from 1530 to 1539 and 1545 to 1556.

The tomb was designed by Mirak Mirza Ghiyas who was a Persian architect who based his design on Timurid tradition coupled with the ancient Persian vision of a spacious formal garden as a representation of paradise as described in the Koran.

Between my visits in 2001 and 2004 a great deal of work had been done on this site especially to the gardens that were a bit of a mess. The gardens include a complex of small fountains and sandstone lined water channels. These were extensively damaged in 2001 but by 2004 had been fully restored and were carrying (some) water once again.

Successive gateways open into the large char-bagh “quartered” garden where the marble domed tomb is of red sandstone with marble inlay and sits on a large red sandstone plinth that is similarly inlaid with marble. In 2004 the inner gatehouse contained a small exhibition about the remedial work that was being done on the site to try and return it to something like its Mughal glories.

The central chamber contains the grave of Humayun while the surrounding chambers contain a number of other graves including Bega Begum (Humayun’ senior wife), the “minor” Mughal emperor’s Farrukh-siyar (ruled 1713 to 1719) and Alamgir II (ruled 1754 to 1759) and Shah Jahan’s son Dara Shukoh.

This was the first Mughal tomb with a double dome, a large dominant exterior dome but a smaller well proportioned interior which is in any case very impressive with the Mughal arches rising through each floor of the central chamber to the dome.

Nearby is the earlier tomb of Isa Khan that was completed in 1547 and sits in its own compound that used to house a whole village within the enclosure.

The octagonal tomb is highly ornamented with lattice work screens although most of the glazed tiling has been removed.

Isa Khan was a prominent noble at the court of the Afghan ruler of Delhi Sher Shah (whose rule interrupted that of Humayun between 1540 and 1544). The western side of the compound has a three dome mosque with a grand central red sandstone bay and mihrab.

Some of the tile work on the mosque is still in place and gives some sense of what the tomb looked like in previous days.

Humayun’s Tomb photo collection:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7u8tky3lndf2oop/AAD8cYv6Ivhqx5KT6A2EFKROa?dl=0

More on Humayun’s Tomb:

http://www.indiasite.com/delhi/places/humayuntomb.html

On the way south out of central Delhi toward the Qut’b Minar is the last of the grand Mughal tombs, that of Safdar Jang.

The tomb of red sandstone with marble inlay work sits under a large marble dome which in this period is starting to develop towards a more “onion” shape in style. The inlay work is noticeably lesser than older tombs although this could be attributed to Safdar Jang not being an Emperor but a leading noble who was the Nawab of Oudh under  Emperor Muhammad Shah between 1719 and 1748 and then the Prime Mister under Emperor Sher Shah between 1748 and his death in 1754.

The tomb compound is in typical Mughal style with a "quartered" garden set inside a large rectangular enclosure.

The tomb was in good condition and the gardens very well maintained. The corner towers provide a slightly unusual feature and are very nicely decorated.

The central chamber has just the single tomb with some impressive decoration carved into the stone. There are no tombs in the outer chamber.

The ceilings throughout the tomb are in excellent condition showing the ornate plasterwork to good effect in the tomb chamber (as in the ceiling shown here), and the other chambers and over the balconies which being in good condition were all accessible on my visit in 2004.

Safdar Jang photo collection:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7gxzh4kt2x1nuw8/AACBfMRQGvBjNOSJaDieHTOAa?dl=0

Delhi – The Tombs, Part 2 Lodi Gardens and tombs and Jamali Kamali

My favourite park in Delhi for a walk and some time with a good book was Lodi Gardens. The gardens were within wlaking distance of my hotel in 2001 but were a 30 minute car ride away in 2004.

The northern entrance on Man Singh road is via the Athpula Bridge built over a small tributary of the Jumana in the 16th Century by Nawab Bahadur, a nobleman at Akbar's court. The gardens were created in the 1930's and are arranged around a number of tombs and a mosque from the pre-Mughal period when the Lodi and Sayyid dynasties ruled northern India.


The tombs are late 15th and earlly 16th century.

At the northern end of the gardens and effectively separated from the other tombs is the tomb of Sikandar Lodi (ruled `489 to 1517) which lies within a large walled garden with its own gatehouse.

The tomb is octagonal with the central chamber surrounded by a verandah of arches with carved sandstone brackets.

The decoration of the tomb chamber is fairly well preserved with glazed tiles and painted stucco work.

The West wall contains a "wall mosque" in the gardens.

The gardens are a popular refuge for local birds as well as Delhi-wallahs.

Tip for visitors - a guide to the buildings and the trees planted in the gardens can be obtained from the shop in the Taj Mahal Hotel that is on Man Singh Road near the north entrance.

The gardens include a separate traditional Mughal style walled rose garden that has two small pavilions.

Almost certainly due to the large numbers of weekend picnic outings the park squirrels are happy to get very close to visitors to the gardens.

The Shish Gumbad or "Glass Dome" is a late 15th Century tomb for a number of relatively minor graves believed to be the pre-eminent courtiers from Sikandar Lodi's reign.

Some of the external turquoise and cobalt blue tiling (that gave the tomb its name) remain on the facade.

The Bara Gumbad or "Big Dome" also stands on a raised platform alongside a mosque and a small pavilion. there is no cenotaph or grave here so it is not clear if this is a burial dome or a rather grand "gatehouse" for the mosque.

The Big Dome has a three domed mosque that was built in 1494 with the pavililion opposite and a tank in the courtyard that was later filled and now contains an unidentified grave.

The interior of the mosque is quite magnificent in terms of its condition and has passages from the Koran carved into the stonework.

At the southern end of the gardens is the tomb of Muhammad Shah, the third Sayyid (Slave dynasty) ruler of Delhi (1434-1444).

The tomb stands on a raised platform with the cenotaph of Muhammad Shah in the middle of the central octagonal chamber.

There is a verandah of arches around the central chamber with carved stonework columns and some fine stucco work decoration to the ceiling area.

There are several other graves in the chamber, presumably of wives and courtiers although there is no attribution at the site.

The central decoration of the ceiling is especially well preserved.

Lodi garden photo collection:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/p2i8861069t5b9l/AACEALMu2Kwk1cZvRIuIUidna?dl=0

More on Lodi Gardens:

http://www.indiasite.com/delhi/places/lodigarden.html

Just off the Mehrauli road heading south from the Qut'b Minar is a small complex of tombs and a mosque belonging to Balban and Jamali Kamali.

Balban's tomb is a rubble built square structure that is in poor condition but is significant for having the earliest examples of true arches having been built in the 13th Century. Balban was the last Sultan of the Slave dynasty and died in 1287. Nearby is the grave of Balban's son Khan Shahid who was killed fighting the Mongols in 1285.

The Jamali Kamali mosque and tombs were constructed in 1528-1529 in an enclosed garden area. The mosque has one entrance from the south and is constructed in red sandstone with marble inlay. There is a large courtyard and the prayer hall has five arches with a dome above the central arch.

The size of the arches increases towards the centre and are decorated with some beautiful ornamentation.

The central arch has fluted pilasters and the prayer wall beyond has a number of niches in addition to the mihrab. The niches and walls are decorated with inscriptions from the Koran.

Shaikh Jamali Kamboh (or Jalal Khan) was a renowned Sufi Saint and poet who lived during the Lodi period. Little is known of kamali other than that he was closely associated with Jamali.

The tomb is a square structurewith a flat roof and is impressively decorated with glazed tiling.

The interior is impressive with blue and red paintwork and incriptions from the Koran. There are also inlaid coloured tiles inscribed with Jamali's poems.

Jamali Kamali and Babur tomb photo collection:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/eta8oh4np37q92a/AACNnzXiwn_TEGwIg9npNWcQa?dl=0

More on the Jamali Kamali:

http://www.indiasite.com/delhi/places/jamalikamalitomb.html

Mehrauli village on the road south out of Delhi is home to the Bhul Bhulyaian meaning labyrinth which describes the layout of the tomb. This is the tomb of Adham Khan, foster brother to the Emperor Akbar. He was put to death by Akbar for the murder of his chief minister in the palace at Agra.

Khan reputedly was thrown from the walls of the Agra Red Fort to his death, although the first effort failed to finish him and he had to be dragged up and thrown down a second time!

From its vantage point on a small hill there is a magnificent view of the Qut'b Minar.

Bhul Bhuliyan photos:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/sbzjnpme63wwwwx/AACE_NCRjbizOwhJaijzpA35a?dl=0

Delhi – Places of worship

Probably the best known Hindu temple in Delhi is the Birla Mandir on Mandir Marg between Connaught Place and India Gate. Built in the 1930’s in the north Indian “Nagara” style and inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi the temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi.

Birla Mandir photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/osstmuoqayow0mh/AACXkgiqI9UKHbu2-_tlMHA-a?dl=0

More on the Birla Mandir: http://www.bharatonline.com/delhi/religious-places/temples/lakshmi-narayan.html

There is a large temple complex near Gurgaon on the Mehrauli-Gurgaon road at Chatturpur that is the second largest in India.

The Chatturpur Mandir is a modern temple complex built in south Indian style and the large Hanuman statue dominates the MG Road so with my frequent journeys from Gurgaon into Delhi in 2004 I had to take a look!

The main temple is dedicated to the Goddess Durga and is set in extensive gardens.

Chattarpur Mandir photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/s7mtrn2waxl46qk/AADG8Taztpnsv-07sgKZ7-6ma?dl=0

More on the Chatturpur Mandir: http://www.delhiinformation.org/temples/chattarpurmandir.html

The Baha’I movement built an impressive temple here in the 1980’s with the roof designed to look like a lotus with large concrete petals clad in white marble. The “Lotus” temple sits in a large well maintained garden that has nine large ponds and water channels that run under the temple to provide cooling.

More on the Lotus Temple and the Baha’I movement: http://www.bahaihouseofworship.in/

Near Kashmiri Gate in Old Dehli is the Anglican St James Church. Built between 1826 and 1836 it was commissioned by Colonel James Skinner. Skinner was an Anglo-Indian who formed his own irregular horse regiment and led a colourful military career mainly serving the British Army in the Mahratta Wars.

The Church is set in a small cemetery that includes a memorial to the victims of the 1857 Mutiny.

The church is built in the Renaissance style in a cruciform pattern with three porches fronted by columns and a central octagonal dome.

There are some nice stained glass windows particularly above the altar and when I visited in 2004 the vicar, Reverend Paul was very helpful and made a quick sale on a copy of the memoirs of Colonel Skinner and the history of his Regiment. I had tried to find the church in 2001 but had no luck in the back streets of Old Delhi despite the church being located on Church Road!

St James Church photo collection:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/s9hqg38w8wmlyr5/AACt5BmM7Dq43EWZz4qBtxkFa?dl=0

More on the St James Church: http://www.delhiinformation.org/churches/stjameschurch.html

More on Colonel Skinner: http://www.hindu.com/mp/2003/11/24/stories/2003112400430200.htm

The main mosque in Delhi is the Jama Masjid that was built on Shah Jahan’s instruction between 1650 and 1656 and is the largest mosque in India. There are East, South and North entrances to the mosque compound the main entrance at the North side having a flight of 39 red sandstone steps.

The mosque complex has three gates (although the East Gate was closed on my visit in 2004), four small towers and two 40+ metre high minarets.

The mosque is constructed with open arched colonnades opening onto the large courtyard and is around 80 metres in length rising on a andstone platform. The roof has three domes that are striped in black and white marble with some gold applied at the top.

The Minarets are striped in red sandstone and white marble and the South Minaret can be climbed (for a fee), but is 130 VERY large steps and my trip up resulted in severe thigh strain!

The view across the top of the mosque to the North Minar gives a clear indication of just how high up the platform at the top is. It was also very precarious as the platform is marble and with half the space at the top being taken up with the stairwell it is a bit disconcerting as it is rather slippery due to it being required that you leave your shoes behind before ascending!

The view from the South Minar of the courtyard illustrates the scale of the mosque complex and the courtyard is said to hold up to 25,000 people.

The mosque lies at the end of one of the busiest streets in Old Delhi that passes through the Chawri Bazaar.

The centre arch is in the form of a large gateway, with tablets of white marble inlaid with inscriptions in black marble. The centre arch states “The Guide” while the flanking arches have the history of the building of the mosque and praise Shah Jahan.

The arches running the length of the mosque are impressive and form the large prayer hall. The chambers are mainly in red sandstone but over a marble base up to head height.

The Central chamber has a large marble centre piece with black marble inlay while the floor also has white and black marble inlay to imitate the Muslim prayer mat.

Jama Masjid photo collection:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/an82p93jabxmgbg/AADpRQAXr5B94Kvet-IgxRtTa?dl=0

More on the Jama Masjid : http://www.indiasite.com/delhi/places/jamamasjid.html